“There is no evidence that the defendants’ actions were illegal or were prohibited by state or federal statute. Defendants owed the victims no duty to offer them a lower price, or a particular price,” the judge wrote in a five-page ruling.

Albornoz, who listed a San Pedro address when he was arrested in Utah, and Gauntt, of Ontario, were indicted Feb. 21 on four counts of grand theft of personal property, while Dulay, of Carson, was indicted on one count of grand theft of personal property.

The prosecution alleged the defendants, while assistant sales managers at Power Toyota in Cerritos in 2004 and 2005, used misrepresentations – including the amount of monthly payments in a purchase – to persuade customers who wanted to buy vehicles to enter into higher-priced lease agreements instead.

“Although the prosecution introduced evidence that the defendants inflated the projected costs of the monthly purchase payments (versus) monthly lease payments, defendants were free to inflate the price in order to negotiate with the victims,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “… There is no evidence that the defendants’ actions were illegal or were prohibited by state or federal statute.”